Story: Media and politics

The press gallery

The press gallery

This is the Parliamentary press gallery in 2010, with the speaker of the House, Lockwood Smith, seated at centre. In order to report on proceedings in the House and in select committees, a journalist must be a member of the press gallery. To become a member a journalist applies to the chair of the press gallery and then to the speaker. Members of the gallery have permission to move through the parliamentary complex and to sit in the reserved section of seats immediately above the speaker's chair. The gallery annually elects its own chair, deputy and treasurer. Jane Patterson (seated, left) was the chair in 2010.

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Private collection
Photograph by Marty Melville

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How to cite this page:

Kate McMillan, 'Media and politics - Journalists and politicians: an uneasy relationship', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/35756/the-press-gallery (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Kate McMillan, published 20 Jun 2012